A/N: Another Creative Writing piece(: I know this storyline is used quite often, but it met the criteria for the contest rules in which I'm sending the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars Retrospect.

"When I first looked upon your face
It seemed to me it was not new;
It seemed from some far distant place
I but remembered you:
For some sweet subtle feeling told
That we two once had loved of old."

-Retrospect, John G. Neihardt

It's not every day you recall specific memories; those of the past which were unimportant at the time, so they have no reason of being important now. Such as the exact date you purchased a new pair of socks, or visited the grocery store for the hundredth time in your life. The significant remembrance of a childhood friend, holidays, school events, and so on are the variety of reminiscences floating throughout the mind constantly – the kind you hold close to your heart. However, the type of reconciliations in which there is no possible way of erasing them from your intellect are those that have affected you severely. And unfortunately, one of my deepest cuts has officially come back to haunt me.

I'm sitting at the familiar table of my day-to-day coffee house stop while writing, as usual. There's no surprise, especially for the reason that it's been my routine of four years. Which I've yet to break, I might proudly add. Every morning I situate myself in the cozy corner of the brew house to read or write, and enjoy my black coffee and sometimes a pastry. The smell of the assorted treats and different blends of drinks overwhelm my senses and give me peace. With the weather becoming more icy each day, the owners of the self-established store rotate the dial of the heater multiple times, letting the warmth creep its way into the room.

My morning is heading in a positive direction, so it seems. I'm ahead on all my work assignments, and my free-time novel is up to date on chapter statuses. This grants me access to extra relaxation time I haven't received in well over two months. I sip my coffee and take a look at my surroundings: a middle age woman I see often ordering her usual beverage, an older gentleman reading the newspaper headlines, and a teenage girl clicking furiously at her cell phone's keypad as she waits for her coffee. The door chime then averts my attention toward the entrance in order to view the newest customer, who is incredibly short and bundled up in layers of clothing and overcoats.

She brushes a light snow off her body, loosens her scarf, and lazily pulls her hat off her head. As she runs her fingers through her hair in attempt to tame the hat's results, I find myself gasping in mere shock.

I know her; there's not one ounce of doubt in my mind. If the quirky fashion sense of dark clothes and bold jewelry didn't give her identity away, then her eyes are most definitely the key.

Those hazel pupils are the ones that would produce her painful tears, but yet brighten with such light when I complimented her. I use to stare so lovingly into those eyes…

But alas, this young woman is the reason I left my home town and travelled nearly eight hundred miles to follow her wishes. After nearly three years of being in a committed relationship, she randomly decided that our lifestyle together wasn't what she was looking for. Friendship wasn't exactly an option either, as she didn't attempt keeping in touch after tearing me apart. We shared glances every once in a while when passing at Hollis, and she often asked questions about assignments when confused.

Other than that, no contact crossed between us whatsoever. When her silence and the tiny town we were trapped in were added together, my life was all too much to handle. I soon put in my two weeks to the Hollis College Board and packed up my apartment in the spur of the moment. Next thing I knew, I was driving a U-Haul truck in a western direction and somehow ended up in Chicago, Illinois. My days now consist of leasing a new apartment, teaching English at the local high school, and writing a little on the side.

I nonchalantly spy on her as she orders at the counter I stood at just minutes ago, and I can't help but soak in the fact that she seems different – whether it's her appearance or something in her demeanor. Her hair is still long, dark, and wavy, but yet lacks the usual shine and bounce; her shoulders sag slightly from what seems like sleep depravity.

My ex-love interest takes the paper coffee cup from the cashier's grasp before spinning on her heel toward the glass doors once again. Suddenly, I stand to my feet and glide over to block her path, which I don't even realize until I see her mouth form a perfectly shaped 'O' in alarm.

"Aria," I greet quietly, taking in the actuality of her presence.

Her intake of breath is abrupt. "Ezra, h-how are you?"

I stuff my free hands into my pockets since my belongings are sitting idly on the table across the way. "Pretty content, and yourself?"

Aria fidgets nervously with the chunky ring on her middle finger. "Fine, just fine, thank you."

"I-I don't mean to pry, but uh, what are you doing here? In Chicago, I mean…" I ask innocently while pressing weight onto my toes.

She giggles quietly and bites her lip, answering, "My job relocated me."

I widen my eyes in amusement. "Really? If you don't mind me asking–"

"Editor in Chief for a poetry magazine," Aria responds excitedly as she adjusts her bag onto her shoulder. "The company is expanding and choosing Chicago as another base location. The boss man picked me personally to run this branch!"

"That's great!" I exclaim, but suddenly grow quite grim. "Rosewood not satisfying anymore?"

Her body becomes stiff with tension at my words, and she averts her gaze away from mine. "I guess you could say that; growing up and living in the same town gets boring. You see the same people every day, and run by the same routine on a daily basis to the point that it all just becomes a blur. I took the job offer immediately in order to experience something new."

I nod in agreement, though I only lived in the small town for a few years. The capacity was miniscule, but rumors spread like wildfire and it was often overwhelming. "How've you been…socially…since moving, Aria?"

Aria stifles a laugh at my failed attempt at pleasant conversation. "Meeting people was easy, actually; having the 'woman in charge' position really gains you respect in the office…but if you're talking about relationship wise…" she trails off to take a sip of the steaming liquid in her cup.

I catch on in a split second and reply with, "Yeah, me neither."

Her head shoots up like a rocket, and our eyes lock – blue on hazel as they mingle intimately without words. After breaking eye contact, Aria smiles and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear in an act of shyness. I chuckle at the fetish she continues to keep up with even through all these years, causing her to blush an extreme shade of crimson. "Listen, Ezra, about what happened before you left–"

I interrupt by raising a hand to end her sentence. "Don't explain; don't apologize…at least not here. Maybe some time over dinner, and when you're not rushing out the door." I gesture my hand behind my back to the exit.

Aria rolls her eyes playfully and settles with a tender smile across her features. "I'd like to catch up. I'll call you?"

"I-I changed my number after I moved…" I say hesitantly, hoping not to dim the uplifting mood we've set.

She responds with a momentary gentle hand to my forearm. "I'll give you my number," Aria responds as she digs through her tote bag. She soon pulls out a square business card and holds it out for me to take.

I grin while placing the card in my back pocket. "Be expecting my call."

"I will," Aria whispers. "Goodbye, Ezra."

I watch her leave the quiet coffee house in a daze; with the surprise of her acceptance to my offer. Though we didn't resolve any issues, maybe I'll start to see the characteristics of Aria that I fell in love with many years ago. She completed me in the time we shared our lives together. We have never been normal individuals – Aria and me – and putting our personalities together created a completely unique paring.

This reconciliation that occurred today is the key to rekindling our feelings for one another, and shows that the love she and I once shared will never cease to completely disappear into thin air.

A/N: I think I'm going to continue this, but only if the reviewers want me to(: There's a lot of unanswered questions, such as why she broke up with him and what not. Let me know what y'all wanna see!

The names I changed Aria and Ezra to for the contest were Adalae and Samuel... but yeah!

Please review!

Thanks!

XxLadyStrengthxX

P.S. WHO WANTS A ROADTRIP SPOILER? :D